How Many Pages Should Your Website Have?
How Many Pages Should Your Website Have?
This is a question we run into often and almost with every single client. Some people seem to think that by cutting out pages and going with the minimum they are saving money others want to have too many useless pages that serve no purpose.
Where do you fit in the mix…?
Many small business owners actually underestimate the amount of pages their website should have. We’ll explain a few “must have” pages that you’ll want to have on your website and WHY they are so important.
#1. Your Homepage (1 page)
You’ve got to have a nice looking and inviting home page. Obviously no website would be a website without one, but many designers still make the mistake of having some lame type of entry way page or “click here to load flash” you don’t want to deal with somebody who makes you a website like that. They scare away your customers.
#2. Your About Us Page (1 page)
This page simply tells the visitors a little bit about your company, your history and your core values. It might not seem important to you but it helps develop your credibility in the eyes of a web visitor and helps them in the decision making process.
#3. Your Services Page(s) (usually 5-20 pages)
If you want a great local search foot print you need to have a page on your website created for every single one of the services you offer clients. This does require a bit of work writing content and collecting pictures but it’s how you cast a wide net in your local market and literally destroy your competitors who neglected to do this… You know, the guys who listed all their services on one single page?!
For some businesses this could be only a few services or you could offer dozens of different services. If you don’t plan on adding too many pages at once at least make sure the software or engine driving your website will be easy to add pages to later.
#4. Your Warranty/Guarantee Page (1 page)
What can your customers expect from you in way of warranty or satisfaction guarantee? It’s important we have an easily accessible page where they can access your warranty information. This is another part of the puzzle in developing our online trust and credibility. Customers need to perceive you as legitimate authority or expert in your service.
#5. Your Client Testimonials (1 page)
With so many places for customers to leave online reviews of your services the old fashioned Testimonials page would seemingly be redundant but it still serves a purpose and if you have several glowing endorsements from your clients then it’s a must have page of your website.
#6. Estimate Request/Consultation/Contact Us Page (1 page)
You’ve got to have an easy way for your customers to contact you and we can accomplish this through the creation of this page. Make sure you collect detailed information from your visitors in your contact form so you get top quality leads for your niche.
#7. Service Location Pages (5 – 10 pages)
Some designers overdo this and will spam the search engines with multiple links to city specific pages of the website. If done delicately and with attention to detail you can easily add 5-10 of these pages to your website without any ill effect from search engines. When a user searches your services with a geographic search there is good chance they will find your service area page.
That’s about it for the most important pages. It’s critical that you cover EACH and EVERY one of the services you want to gather new leads and customers for. This usually takes most small business owners websites into the 15-25 page range and if the work scares you, don’t let it…! We can create this all for you, and you can rest assured your competitors will have to scramble to keep up!
